Taormina Afternoon

Following a scenic drive through some villages on Sicily's northeast coast, we arrived in the hilltop of town of Taormina. Overlooking the water, we saw beautiful coastlines. The part of the town we went to was very cute and touristy, and for most of us, our 1st stop was at the ancient Greek theatre. While not overwhelming large like others I've seen, this was had the ocean as the backdrop so if you sat up top, you'd have a wonderful view. After that, it was just meandering the main shopping street and checking out the public gardens.

Though I initially thought it'd be nice to stay the night in Taormina, an afternoon was really all I needed. We ended up having an evening transfer to Catania for safety reasons as parts of Catania had been flooded recently due to a Mediterranean hurricane in the area. Apollo is his name.

The hotel in Catania though through us all in a bit of a shock. Our first hint was entering through a non descript door and up old steps in an old building. The rooms were even more shocking. Some had mold in them, while one person wasn't quite sure if the look and feel was supposed to be a vibe or just a little ghetto. In the 4 people decided to move hotels, and I'll admit, I was close to it myself as well. Given what we'd paid and the level of the tour, this hotel was definitely not up to snuff. While we understand what the city was going through and our original hotel was closed, there were still better options, and the company should've had a better back up plan.Read more